Alter
by BellatrixLestrangey
Summary: Azula week day 4: Time Travel. Zuko finds himself watching a cheerful scene–with he and Azula–from his childhood unfold.


Zuko watches Azula reach out for him.

He could save her.

He could save them both.

They are just kids. Just smiling and laughing kids.

He doesn't remember the last time he had seen Azula smile like that. These days she is shattered and, for the most part, catatonic. Her eyes are so hollow, her figure looking so small and broken-hunched over with unkempt hair obscuring her face.

The laughing child before him is such a stark contrast. He watches his child self trip over a rock. He doesn't remember this moment in his life so he is surprised to find that Azula is unable to slow herself on time and ends up tripping over him.

"Nice going dumb dumb." She frowns, folding her arms.

"It's not my fault." Small Zuko declares.

"It is so." Azula insists.

A faint smile tugs at older Zuko's lips. Why can't they just fight like that. Harmlessly and over useless things. He watches Azula dust her knees off and wander over to the turtle duck pond. She picks up a loaf of bread. Apparently a lot of his memory had become tainted with time and pessimism; she picks a small chuck off of the bread and tosses it into the pond. The second chunk is a little larger, but hardly a whole loaf of bread. And she doesn't particularly aim for the turtle-ducks, she just kind of throws it without much thought.

His childhood self comes to stand next to her and takes a piece of bread for himself. But instead of giving it to the ducks he eats it. Eats it and makes a face. Azula laughs, "that's stale bread, dumb dumb."

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I didn't think that _you _were going to eat it."

A fair point, if older Zuko has anything to say.

It could be that he has by chance came upon a happy day after a slew of dreadful ones. But he has been stuck in the past for several days now and each is much like the first that he had experienced. Things are so mundane.

Simple.

He watched his younger self quarrel with Azula over who gets what role in their make believe game. But that had been resolved relatively quickly when Mai and TyLee came to join them. They are back to their cheerful play and silly childhood competitions.

They were so happy.

What the hell has happened to them?

He already knows the answer. And it is sitting in the garden, drinking tea, and beckoning Azula over. Zuko can't make out the conversation, but when Azula joins them again, their friendly play becomes more competitive, almost hostile. A rage boils within young Zuko who yells at Azula and tries to fight back. A rage boils within older Zuko but it is directed at a different person. Older Zuko has connected the dots that younger Zuko didn't.

This happens on several occasions.

After one, instead of following his enraged younger self, Zuko trails behind Azula. He knows that the people of this world can't see him, but he still keeps his distance. He almost regrets following Azula. He expects to hear her complaining about and insulting him. Instead she curls herself up on the end of the bed and stares blankly.

It sends a chill down his spine, how eerily similar the expression is to that of current Azula's.

He wishes that she would just cry like most other children. But somehow Ozai's influence intrudes even on her private moments. Even small Azula refuses to cry.

Zuko shudders.

They can't see him. They can't hear him.

He can save her.

She...both of them can have a normal life.

All he has to do is strike Ozai down.

But what if he does?

What then?

There are so many ways that things can go amiss.

For a moment he almost does it anyways. It would serve the monster right to be taken out. But he finds himself hesitating at his father's chambers. He has another idea. A better one. A safer one.

Won't it be more satisfying to repair the damage the Ozai dealt and wave then wave his own success in his father's face. He doesn't know how to get back to the future, but when he does, he will fix things.

If Iroh has taught him anything, it is patience.

He will help Azula pick up the pieces.  
They will be happy again.


End file.
